New rules are being placed on Hawaii gun owners after Governor Ige signed three bills into law on Thursday.
Senator Will Espero says knowing when a gun owner is arrested in another state will help police gain important information about criminals that own guns.
“This is important because if one of our Hawaii gun owners is arrested, we want to know what that crime is and then monitor it and if it’s necessary,” Espero said.
Espero says before this law, if a Hawaii gun owner was arrested in another state, law enforcement had no way of knowing, “Unless they purchase a new gun, we don’t find out about the crime or the incident.”
Bill Richter, president of Lessons in Firearms Education says the new law won’t work the way it’s intended, instead putting a burden on gun owners.
“I think it’s a mistake I think the intentions were good behind it like many of the gun laws that are proposed and eventually enacted. I think it will be ineffective. I think there’s some constitutional issues that need to be addressed, and I think Hawaii trying to be innovative is going to find instead that they’re going to be saddled with costs that they are not anticipating including possible cost to defend legal actions,” said Richter.
Harvey Gerwig of The Hawaii Rifle Association says requiring gun owners to be part of a federal database in unconstitutional.
“The rap back issue violates the 1986 regulation. The federal elation of no database on firearms owners. So we’re very disappointed, and the likelihood is quite high that it will require legal action,” said Gerwig.
Another law was passed says harassment by stalking and sexual assault disqualify someone from having guns. Another bill was signed into law that would require people diagnosed with significant behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders to surrender their guns to police.
